Dwyane Wade

In a year when NBA superstars like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Chris Kaman were all drafted in the top ten, it is easy to forget that Dwyane Wade came out of that very same group.

In just three seasons, Wade has demonstrated the veteran savvy to not only have the Miami Heat playing competitive basketball, but also has the team playing for its first NBA Finals Championship in franchise history.

Wade grew up on the South Side of Chicago in Oak Lawn, IL. He attended Richards High School and it was there where his older sister, Tragil, was an important reason he succeed by staying in school and eventually getting a scholarship to attend the University of Marquette.

One of Wade’s most successful moments at Marquette was performance in the 2003 NCAA Final Four tournament.

Wade’s Golden Eagles faced the top ranked Kentucky Wildcats in the Midwest Regional Final in 2003. Wade recorded a triple-double in the contest in which Marquette upset the heavily favored Wildcats 83-69 and propelled the Golden Eagles into the final four.

Wade finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, including 4 blocks and a steal on defense. He joins only three other players (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Andre Miller) in NCAA Men's Tournament history to record a triple-double.

His overall Final Four performance was enough for him to skip his senior season and allowed him to go fifth overall to the Heat in the 2003 NBA Draft. During his first year in Miami, Wade played well enough be selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

At only 24, Wade is already a two-time All Star, two-time All-NBA second team nomniee and if his offense statistics aren’t enough, he was Second Team All-Defense in 2005.

Since being joined with Shaquille O’Neal before his second season, Wade and Shaq have taken the Heat to new levels. The team was one mintue away from the NBA Finals in 2005, but now are on a mission for the franchise’s first title after defeding the Detroit Pistons in six games.

As long as Dwyane Wade is on board for years to come, the Heat will have a competitive chance every single season.

NBA Career

NBA.com
Career highlights, year-by-year numbers, career highlights and 2005-06 stats.

News and Commentary

Wade ahead of fellow class membersBob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal briefly writes about Dwyane Wade possibly being more successful at this point in his career than his 2003 draft mates. Money quote:

“You can talk about LeBron James and Kobe (Bryant's) efforts, but I don't know that either of them has done just what Wade has done during this playoffs," said Jack Ramsay, a game analyst for ESPN Radio.”

Wade reaching elite statusDwyane Wade’s 2006 playoff performance is starting to garner comparisons to other NBA greats. Whether premature or not, nobody can deny what Wade did to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sticking to the program – Rising star: Dwayne WadeDwyane Wade didn’t make his varsity team until is Junior year of high school, and even then he didn’t have out of this world stats. So why did Marquette head coach Tom Crean “have to have him” coming out of high school?